Structure and range
Flora of North America gives rosettes 35–75 cm tall, with leaves varying widely in shape and size. A branched inflorescence is raised on a stalk several metres tall. Buds are pink, red or orange, whereas open flowers are yellow to yellow-green. These describe the broad species concept used in the flora. [Reveal and Hodgson 2002]
Plants of the World Online gives a native range from southeastern Arizona to Texas and northern and western Mexico. Retaining the variety or subspecies name of a particular specimen helps relate it to the appropriate morphological and geographical range. [2-WWW]
Reproduction and historical use
In the 2020 phylogenetic study, Agave parryi belonged to a lineage that also included species with much narrower inflorescences. This grouping illustrates how similar branching patterns arose in different parts of the agave tree. Inflorescence habit remains useful for recognition, while evolutionary relationships are assessed using multiple traits and DNA evidence. [Jiménez-Barron et al. 2020]
A 2023 review of ancient agave domesticates includes Agave parryi among the native wild species used by Arizona communities. The authors distinguish the cultivation and use of such plants from the six described ancient domesticated lineages, which include Agave murpheyi. This distinction preserves the biological provenance of the material and supports a more precise interpretation of cultivation history. [Hodgson et al. 2023]
Cultivation and propagation
RHS recommends full light under glass and a cactus growing medium. Plants receive water during summer growth, less in autumn and dry conditions in winter. They can spend summer outdoors. Propagation uses seeds or the removal of offsets. [1-WWW]
Related articles
Materials from the author's archive
The species also appears in Konrad Szychowski's private material archive. [Kaktusy itd. 2007] [Kaktusy i Inne 2005b]